The View from the Top

Bill writes: Yesterday we went to Woolsey's for lunch. The only reason I mention this is not that the food is remarkable (although it is very good). Or that the location is excellent (though it's on Picadilly next to the Ritz). No, it's that it has the most wholly remarkable wait-staff I've ever known. They are prompt without being officious, friendly without a bit of obsequiousness, and entirely knowledgable about everything they serve. Aline asked our waiter what the difference was between two coffees--the machianno and the machado. The waiter explained it in terms of size, strength, flavor, ingredients, and preparation method. Compare that to asking the difference between a grande and a venti at Starbucks, where you're answered with a condescending shrug. I wonder if Woolsey's has the best staff in England. They're certainly my favorite.

Aline adds: They are my favorite too! When I went in there alone for tea one day (Bill was off on a guitar-hunting trip), they happily sat me at a wonderful table in the middle of the restaurant (my women friends who travel alone on business know how unusual that is), and asked me if I wanted a newspaper to read. I go there every chance I get!

Back to Bill: By the way, and for no other reason than I took the picture and so here you go. This is the view of Regent Street from the top of a double-decker London bus: